RedHawks Hit the Road For East Coast Swing
9/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 13, 2005
After knocking off No. 17 Michigan, its first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since 2001, Miami (1-2-0) heads to the East Coast for the start of a four-game road trip. This week, the RedHawks travel to the Harvard Invitational where they face Northeastern (3-2-0) and Harvard (2-2-0) and look to capitalize on the momentum from Sunday's upset victory.
LAST WEEK VERSUS MICHIGAN: For only the second time in school history and the first time since 2001, Miami knocked off a nationally-ranked opponent as it beat the No. 17 Michigan Wolverines, 1-0, in its 2005 home opener. Despite managing only two shots on goal, sophomore Lindy Slinger's header at 18:53 off junior captain Megan Ortner's cross proved to be all the offense the RedHawks would need on the afternoon.
Miami's only goal came in the 19th minute as Ortner streaked down the left side of the field and fired a cross in front of goal. In the box, Slinger shielded a Wolverine defender and put home the game-winning header past Michigan keeper Madison Gates. The goal was Slinger's first of the season and Miami's first tally in three games.
The RedHawks had to weather a Michigan offensive flurry during the final 45 minutes as the Wolverines had 12 second-half shots, but Miami junior keeper Shannon Chew notched four second-half saves to preserve the shutout. Senior keeper Leigh Terry also posted another strong performance as she was in goal for the first 45 minutes and made five saves.
Michigan, who was coming off a 3-2 win over Texas and a 1-1 tie versus No. 6 Texas A&M last weekend, had a one-player advantage for the last five minutes of the game. Sophomore Jennifer Rush was given a red card and ejected at 84:31 after a tackle near the box, but a determined and short-handed RedHawks' defense kept the Wolverines off the board.
HAWKS HISTORIC WIN: With the win over No. 17 Michigan, Miami earned its first win over a nationally-ranked opponent since Nov. 16, 2001 when it defeated No. 19 West Virginia, 1-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The victory also gave the RedHawks their first-ever win over Michigan in three tries and their second win in school history versus a Big Ten opponent. Their last win versus a Big Ten school was Nov.15, 2002 in first-round NCAA Tournament action when they took down the Michigan State Spartans, 2-1. Miami now has a 2-7-1 all-time record versus the Big Ten Conference.
AND THE WINNER IS: After scoring the game-winning goal against No. 17 Michigan, sophomore Lindy Slinger was named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Week. Slinger scored Miami's lone goal on a header at 18:53 in Sunday's match as she shielded a Michigan defender in the box and knocked a cross past the Michigan keeper. The goal was Slinger's first of the season and fifth in her career, and it also was the second game-winning goal in her two seasons with the Red and White. Her last game-winner came against Western Michigan in the RedHawks 4-3 double-overtime win on Sept. 19, 2004. The player of the week honor is the first in Slinger's career and the second time she has been individually recognized by the conference. Last season, Slinger was a member of the MAC All-Freshman Team.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN: The Northeastern Huskies are riding a two-match winning streak and currently stand at 3-2-0 with wins against Holy Cross (3-2), Sacred Heart (2-1) and Long Island (2-1). The Huskies are one of 12 teams in the Colonial Athletic Conference at or above .500, and their top offensive threat is freshman Caitlin Whelan as she leads the team in goal (6) and shots (19) and shots on goal (11). Junior Kristin Kowalik is also a threat to score as she has tallied five points and two game-winning goals. Keeper Mariel Wilner has been solid in goal with a 3-1-0 record, 19 saves and a 1.75 goals-against average. Led by seventh-year head coach Ed Matz, the Huskies were picked to finish eighth in the CAA in the preseason coaches poll.
SCOUTING HARVARD: The Harvard Crimson currently stand at 2-2-0 after two straight losses to Central Connecticut (1-0) and No. 11 Boston College (2-0). The Crimson's two-game skid comes on the heels of a pair of 1-0 wins to open the season against Binghamton and Syracuse. Two players, freshman Erin Wylie and sophomore Megan Merritt have each posted on goal while senior keeper Katie Shields, a second-team All-Ivy selection last year, owns a 0.75 goals-against average and has made 12 saves on the season. First-year head coach Stephanie Erickson inherited a Harvard program that went to the NCAA Tournament last season with a 8-7-2 record and was one of three Ivy League schools to qualify for the NCAA Tournament last season.
MIAMI VERSUS THE COLONIAL ATHLETIC: Miami has never faced a school from the Colonial Athletic Conference as Thursday's match will be the first time the RedHawks square off against a CAA opponent.
MIAMI VERSUS THE IVY LEAGUE: In a weekend of firsts, Miami's match versus Harvard will be its first meeting against an Ivy League School in school history.
RESETTING THE RECORD: With each save for the rest of the season, senior keeper Leigh Terry will add to her total as the Miami career-saves leader. Terry became the career-saves leader after she made four first-half saves against Kentucky, which moved her career total to 122 saves and pushed her ahead of current RedHawk junior Megan Ortner (120 saves). With her five-save effort against Michigan, Terry now has 127 career saves. Terry also ranks first all-time at Miami in wins (21), third in goals-against average (1.29), fourth in shutouts (6) and third in win-loss record (21-9-2 .687). Terry also is in the Miami record book for her single-season performance as a freshman in 2002 when she set the Miami single-season record for wins (15) and placed second all-time in shutouts (6) and fourth in saves (72) and goals-against average (0.98).
THE KEEPER COMBO: The combination in goal of senior Leigh Terry and junior Shannon Chew proved effective in the RedHawks 1-0 win over Michigan. The duo, which has been rotating halves through the first three games, combined to stop nine Wolverine shots and give Miami its first shutout of the season. In three games, Terry has made 14 saves and allowed only one goal (0.67 goals-against average) while Chew has tallied 11 saves.
AND FOR HER NEXT TRICK: Versatile junior captain Megan Ortner, who made 12 starts at the team's keeper last season, has started the first three games of 2005 in the field for the RedHawks, and against Michigan, she tallied her first career collegiate assist. It was Ortner's cross in the 19th minute that set up Miami's only score against Michigan and helped the RedHawks notch their first goal of the 2005 season. In 2003, Ortner--who played both midfield and keeper in high school for the Bulldogs at St. Ursula in Cincinnati--became the first player in the program's history to start a game in the field and in goal when she tallied a start in the midfield against Wright State (Sept. 12) and later earned the starting nod in goal against Western Michigan (Sept. 19).
ROAD WARRIORS: During their non-conference slate, Miami's lone home game came against No. 17 Michigan, and on Thursday, the RedHawks begin a four-game road trip at the Harvard Invitational. The trip begins on Sept. 15 against Northeastern, and the RedHawks will then play road games against Harvard (Sept. 17), Buffalo (Sept. 23) and preseason MAC favorite Kent State (Sept. 25). Miami begins another four-game trip on Oct. 7 against Eastern Michigan with the final game of the road trip coming against Ohio on Oct. 16.
WE'RE YOUR CAPTAINS: Miami has two captains for the 2005 season, senior Lindsay Dunmead and junior Megan Ortner. Dunmead is entering her fourth-year as a starter as a defender while Ortner, who started at keeper last year, has been moved out of goal to better utilize her athleticism.
OLDER IS BETTER: Head coach Bobby Kramig boasts his largest junior/senior class in the last four years, and he is hoping the veteran roster with two seniors and 10 juniors will help push the RedHawks back into the postseason in 2005. Seniors Lindsay Dunmead (defender) and Leigh Terry (keeper) are sporting the Red and White for the final time this season.
WELCOME BACK: Miami welcomes back two MAC award winners from last season as sophomores Jaclyn Levant (defender) and Lindy Slinger (midfield) were both MAC All-Freshman Team honorees in 2004. Levant tallied 13 starts last season while Slinger added 12 points (four goals, four assists). The MAC All-Freshman Team was added to the list of yearly awards in 2003, and current RedHawk Aimee Prevallet (midfield) is the only other Miami player to be named to the all-freshman team.